by SANTA CLARA, Calif. – If you were looking for metaphors, the scene and soundtrack couldn’t have been a better fit.
There, in the middle of the San Francisco 49ers practice field, stood rookie Ricky Pearsall, mixing in a few dance moves between fielding punts. Less than two months removed from a bullet to the chest, Pearsall was — at least this Wednesday — Brock Purdy’s strongest receiving option.
Over the sound system boomed the gravelly voice of Jon Bon Jovi, who played an 80s classic that expressed the current situation of the 49ers in all its cheesy glory.
Wow, we’re halfway there. Whoa oh, I live on a prayer.
With a 3-4 record and only Sunday night’s meeting with the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium left before the off week that splits their season, the reigning NFC champions are going through a difficult stretch. However, their collective headspace remains determined and optimistic.
You’ve been here before. And they have survived worse.
“You know it,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner joked – well, half-jokingly – when I broached the subject he knew was inevitable.
“Typical,” All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk said.
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As coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch and the franchise’s other top decision-makers ponder whether to buy, sell or opt for a combination of both ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline, they’re making a move – along with the big one Contingent of decorated veterans in the locker room – I can’t help but read up on the recent history.
With all the talk about Shanahan’s perceived weaknesses – failure to finish Super Bowls, his lax attitude on special teams, a poor record in games where the 49ers trail late, and things not going his way – it’s hard questioning its status as the Super Bowl’s most successful midseason turnaround artist of the decade.
When it comes to adapting on the fly and making bold runs in the second half, Shanahan is undeniably elite.
In 2021, the 49ers looked lifeless during a home loss to the Arizona Cardinals that left them at 3-5, and there was reasonable consideration that starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would be benched for No. 3 pick Trey Lance .
Shanahan immediately changed the team’s identity by crafting a hard-nosed running attack, including using his top receiver target – Deebo Samuel Sr. – as a part-time wideback. He also shifted defensive tackle Arik Armstead inside on running downs, strengthening the defense. The 49ers gathered all their strength to reach the postseason, winning away playoff games against the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers and probably only had one dropped interception in the NFC championship game against eventual Super Bowl winner Los Angeles Rams.
The following season, the Niners suffered a home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in October, leaving them 3-4 (sound familiar?). Shanahan bolstered his offensive attack with the midseason acquisition of Christian McCaffrey, and San Francisco won 12 straight games. The streak continued despite the 49ers losing Garoppolo to a season-ending injury in early December; Rookie Brock Purdy, the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 draft, took over and helped the Niners to another conference title game before everything fell apart in Philadelphia (Purdy suffered a torn UCL).
Last season, the 49ers defeated the Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football,” improving to 5-0 before fainting in the early fall. Consecutive losses to the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals created a bit of a crisis. At least it seemed that way. During a bye week, they quietly recharged their batteries, went on a five-game winning streak and finally reached the Super Bowl.
So yeah, probably Shanahan’s 49ers may We will do something similar in 2024. Whether they will is a completely different question.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers need to overcome Sunday’s subpar game against the Chiefs. (Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images)
Things haven’t felt right since the overtime loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII last February. A summer of bad vibes marked by ongoing contract disputes with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams that carried over into the regular season. The Niners have lost two games to seemingly overpowering divisional opponents (the Rams and Cardinals) and have managed just one win against a team with a winning record: the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks, who lead the NFC West.
Injuries have contributed to her discomfort. McCaffrey, the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was sidelined all season with Achilles tendonitis, robbing the 49ers not only of his tremendous productivity but also of his multi-position versatility, which gives Shanahan greater schematic opportunities to confuse his opponents . McCaffrey, who sought advanced treatment in Germany last month, could attempt to return as early as the Nov. 10 road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which follows the Niners’ bye.
Aiyuk suffered a season-ending knee injury last Sunday. Samuel missed most of that loss to Kansas City due to pneumonia and was later hospitalized; He will try to come back for Sunday’s game. Star tight end George Kittle was also sidelined Wednesday with a foot injury. Pearsall, a first-round pick who made his NFL debut against the Chiefs, will take on a potentially crucial role.
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The 49ers don’t expect defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (torn triceps) to play again this season, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw – a tone-setter and one of Shanahan’s favorite players – is still weeks away from returning from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered at Running has moved onto the field during the Super Bowl. Safety Talanoa Hufanga (torn wrist ligament), expected to miss at least a month, is now expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to a source familiar with the matter. (Update: Hufanga’s agent Chris Cabott has since refuted this report, stating that Hufanga plans to return and star with a cast this season.)
Football can be brutal; Yet the 49ers still believe they have what it takes to prevail. A loss to the Cowboys, whose last game was a 47-9 home loss to the Detroit Lions that forced owner Jerry Jones to fume on his weekly radio show, might change Shanahan and Lynch’s mindset a bit. They might be tempted to consider trade offers for, say, starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, a second-team All-Pro in 2023 who hasn’t looked nearly as good this season and whose contract expires next spring.
However, the idea of them giving up on the season — and equating it with 2020, when they suffered a 6-10 season after a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs despite a spate of serious injuries — is pretty far-fetched.
There are two big reasons for this. The first is the presence of Purdy, who despite a poor game against the Chiefs is a rising star capable of elevating the offense. And secondly, the NFC West is – how can you put this politely? – a kind of trash department.
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Given that neither the Seahawks nor the Cardinals nor the Rams appear to be particularly impressive, it’s far more likely that the 49ers will be buyers at the trade deadline, as they specifically did last season (acquiring edge rusher Randy Gregory and Chase Young). .
This time, defensive tackle and wide receiver are the most glaring needs, in that order. With Hargrave out and Armstead now in Jacksonville, the 49ers feel the need for a little more impact on the interior of their line, especially given the vulnerability to inside runs that their Wide 9 front brings.
Internally there were discussions about finding top players and cheaper, less glamorous options. Could three-time Pro Bowl selection DeForest Buckner, the team’s 2016 first-round pick who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts after the 2019 season, be acquired back via trade? That seems unlikely, but another key player from the 2019 team, DJ Jones (now with the Denver Broncos), could be a realistic target.
The 49ers undoubtedly have their eye on the New England Patriots roster as well. According to numerous sources inside and outside the building, the 1-6 Patriots are in fire sale mode and would be receptive to a possible trade to… well, practically anyone. The two teams held trade talks in the summer when Aiyuk wanted out; One player San Francisco had its sights on was wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, a former Shanahan project who spent his first four seasons in scarlet and gold.
The Patriots are in sellout mode. Could the 49ers get back together with Kendrick Bourne? (Neville E. Guard / Imagn Images)
An even more enticing potential acquisition for Shanahan and Lynch: ninth-year defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, a veteran run-stuffer who signed a two-year, $18 million contract extension with the Patriots this summer.
Whatever happens, the 49ers’ turnaround – if it is to happen – must be driven by the proud veterans who helped them get out of previous trouble: Kittle, Samuel, Williams, Juszczyk, Warner, star edge rusher Nick Bosa and others. Because of past experiences, neither she nor Shanahan are unduly intimidated by the current circumstances.
The 49ers believe in their culture, which is characterized by collective commitment, responsibility and adherence to the unvarnished truth. Their plan is to do the right thing by beating the Cowboys, wait to see what the trade market has in store and, as usual, make an attack in the second half.
“That’s how you initiate the turnaround – you win the next game,” backup quarterback Brandon Allen said. “I don’t think anyone here is freaking out.”
Like Bon Jovi, they’ll try.
(Top photo by Kyle Shanahan: Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images)
